The mother of an eight-year-old girl who tragically died at the weekend after being sucked into a hotel swimming pool's pipes has paid tribute to her daughter.
Aliyah Jaico's body was found 20 feet deep into a one-foot wide pipe on Saturday (23 March), following an extensive search for the missing youngster.
She and family were staying at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Houston Brookhollow, Texas, when the heartbreaking incident occurred.
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The girl was first reported missing 5.45pm after her family were unable to locate her on the premises following a swim in a lazy river style pool.
Houston Fire Department inspected four of the pool's pipes - each of which were roughly one foot wide - but were initially unable to find Aliyah.
Police spokesperson John Cannon told press that his team proceeded to comb through the hotel, while Miller's search and rescue nonprofit organisation scoured through the hotel's security footage.
The harrowing footage saw that Aliyah had been pulled under the water and hadn't resurfaced.
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The pool was subsequently drained and a small remote camera - provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice - was attacked to a pole and sent 20 feet into the pipes.
With the assistance of a scent-tracking blood hound, at around 11.30pm that evening, the rescue team made the heart-breaking discovery.
Miller told press that Aliyah's 'little hand and part of her body' were the first to emerge on camera, with it appearing as though she'd been sucked into a wedged deep into the pipe.
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Houston police are still awaiting autopsy results. Her preliminary cause of death is noted as 'drowning and mechanical asphyxia', according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science.
And now, in the days following the stomach-wrenching ordeal, Aliyah's mother has spoken out about her loss, opening up about her daughter's 'noble heart'.
Daniela Jaico described her heartache on Facebook: "They say we all have our destiny marked... but I can't understand why yours was like this...
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"Thank you my love for the 8 years you gave me by your side. Thank you my girl for teaching me what love is and a noble heart."
In Spanish, Daniela admitted she can't accept her daughter no long being around, adding: "I hope to see you again one day and you'll keep looking at me and you'll get that big smile that was contagious with joy.
"You gave yourself to love always with your heart so noble. I will love you for all eternity. You are the most beautiful thing God has given me and after every battle we went through together we didn't win this one."
She concluded her tear-jerking post: "Rest in peace my beautiful Wera. Forever you."
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The pool has since been closed and will remain so 'until all violations are corrected and pool passes reinspection', according to a Houston Health Department inspection report.
Among the several violations listed in the report were that the 32-inch channel drains on the walls of the small pool did not include a document verifying the function of the drains.
Officials from the Houston Health Department have since declared that the pool was last inspected in June 2023.
A Hilton hotels spokesperson told Tyla: "Hilton offers our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones in the tragic loss of a young girl at the DoubleTree by Hilton Houston Brookhollow.
"This property is independently owned and operated by a third party. Hilton does not own, manage, or control the day-to-day operations of the property and does not employ any of the property’s staff or its third-party operators."
Tyla has contacted the legal representatives of DoubleTree by Hilton in Houston Brookhollow for a comment.
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Rhianna Benson